Summer move an adventure to me

In eight days I will be starting a new life in a new place. No, I'm not planning on dying - I'm just moving to Washington, D.C., for an internship.I'm very excited. But a little scared, too. Scared because of the high crime rates. But mainly scared that D.C.'s going to kidnap me.

See, I love D.C. Last year alone, I found any excuse (or conference, rather) to go to the nation's capitol. The atmosphere, the politics, the culture - it excites me. Not to mention most everything's free.

My first experience of D.C. life happened my senior year of high school. My friend Zack and I partook in a non-partisan group called Close Up. Its aim was to spark political interest and civic responsibility in high school students. For me, it started a bonfire.

Prior to the trip, I had taken a keen interest in politics, appalling my parents, and I planned to get a degree in political science as a result.

I was also on the Columbus Junior City Council, the Attorney General Youth Advisory Council and seemed to head down to Lincoln several times a month to visit our representatives in the Unicameral, advocating for change on behalf of a non-profit organization I was part of.

After the first few visits, I declared to my mother that I wanted to some day serve the state by running for office. She didn't understand.

More recently, I got a taste of the political world first hand when I became speaker of the student senate, but that's a whole different story (see "Could it possibly, maybe, somehow be politics that generates student government apathy?" in the Oct. 2 issue of the Gateway).

Even after my "experiences," I still have this uncanny desire for serving. Which is why D.C. is such a perfect fit for me.

Although, looking into my background, D.C. may appear to be a stretch just because of the type of city it is. It's big. Bigger than my population of 22,000 in Columbus, Neb., my hometown. And full of concrete: it's more paved than my family's 1000-plus acre farm.

But the diversity is what I'm really excited about. That's one of the things that drew me to UNO - meeting people from all walks of life - something that D.C. easily boasts. What's the point in moving to a new city halfway across the country if you're not willing to expand your horizons? Try some new things? Make some new friends? The idea of starting over is exhilarating - who wouldn't want to begin with a fresh perspective after a couple hard years in college?

Honestly, I'm terrified. It takes a lot of guts to venture out of my warm comfort zone. I don't really know what to expect this summer (other than lots of soccer - Go D.C. United!). It's up for grabs.

And so am I, according to my friends and family. They're convinced that some guy's going to snatch me up as I'm falling in love and walking hand-in-hand around the Washington Memorial. Then, I'm told, I'll come back to UNO to finish my undergraduate degree, only to immediately move back to D.C. to continue the new life I began months before.

Although that seems a somewhat appealing story, it's not something I expect. Or desire, honestly. Maybe I'm just being selfish, but for once in my life, I just want to focus on myself, enjoy all the little things and learn more about God and all the precious gifts He gives us. I'm not interested in exploiting life as a single woman.

All too often I find myself getting caught up in the moment and forget the reason I'm here. That's one of the biggest reasons why heading to D.C. for three months in my lonesome is so appealing. It'll serve as an escape and provide a different reality and an opportunity to refocus.

Leaving my family and friends is not going to be an emotionally or mentally easy ordeal. It's going to suck. But as my friends in Relient K sing: "The end will justify the pain it took to get us there."

Besides, I'll just look at moving as an adventure because that's really what it is: An adventure in an urban city with high crime rates, but awesome soccer.

Don't worry, though; I'll bring mace.